Relative handgrip strength is inversely associated with the presence of type 2 diabetes in overweight elderly women with varying nutritional status

Background and Aims To describe cross-sectional associations of BMI-adjusted handgrip strength with the presence of diabetes and hypertension in a community setting. Methods and Results Between 2016 and 2018, 601 consecutive elderly active women (70.7 +/- 6.9 years) were enrolled. Nutritional status was evaluated by the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score. Muscle strength and level of fitness were assessed by standardized physical functional tests and handgrip strength (HGS). The majority of participants were overweight or obese (80% with BMI > 25). Prevalence of diabetes and hypertension was 13 and 60%, respectively. Participants in the lowest quartile of BMI-adjusted HGS (RHGS) had significantly higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension compared with those in the top quartile (20.7 vs 5.3% and 49.3 vs 39.3%, respectively,p < 0.01 for both), without significant differences in nutritional status. Association with the presence of diabetes was significantly weaker in women with higher vs lower RHGS values (OR 0.77; 0.59-0.86 CI95%;p = 0.002), independent of age, abdominal adiposity, and presence of hypertension. RHGS was positively correlated with most of the physical functional tests performed. Conclusion RHGS is an easy-to-obtain measure of muscular strength, independently associated with the presence of diabetes in overweight active elderly women. Prospective studies are required to assess its predictive value to identify adults at risk of developing diabetes.

Automated summary

The study investigated the association between BMI-adjusted handgrip strength and diabetes and hypertension in elderly active women, finding that participants with lower handgrip strength had a higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension. Handgrip strength was significantly correlated with the presence of diabetes, independent of other factors.